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The most remote inhabited island in the UK, famed for its seabirds and fabulous knitwear
Overview
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Overview
Watch the island’s highly skilled craftspeople at work – spinning, weaving and of course knitting Fair Isle jumpers.
Fair Isle is a birdwatcher’s paradise – it’s a vital stopping-off point for migrating birds and more than 350 species have been recorded here.
See signs of the island’s fascinating past everywhere, from remnants of Iron Age settlements to places named after Viking invaders and the wreck of a World War II German plane.
Walk the length of the 3 mile island – there’s a Stevenson lighthouse at each end.
A circus of puffins stand near a cliff on Fair Isle
A close-up of the Fair Isle South Lighthouse on a sunny day
Two lambs take a rest on the grass on Fair Isle
Explore the rocky coastline of Fair Isle.
About this place
Truly get away from it all with a visit to Fair Isle.
Immortalised in the shipping news, and famous for its distinctive knitwear, Fair Isle is the most remote thriving community in the UK. It lies almost exactly halfway between Shetland and Orkney and can be reached by boat or small plane.
Ashore is a warm, welcoming community, consisting mainly of craftspeople, conservationists, boat-builders and crofters. Renowned as a place to see birds, there are lots of other things to discover – from archaeological remains to the famous Stevenson lighthouses.
Fair Isle is a birdwatcher’s paradise, being a vital stopping-off place for migrating birds, and more than 350 species have been recorded here.
We would love you to submit photos of seabirds carrying fish at any National Trust for Scotland place. This will help us monitor what food seabirds are finding to feed their chicks.
We take a look at the history of the national reintroduction programme for the sea eagle (also known as the white-tailed eagle), and our charity’s important role in that.
